Device for aligning wheels



Augo 16,

J. H. GRAY DEVICE FOR ALIGNING WHEELS INVENTQR (age/y "av Filed March12. 1927 WWW-"Y IQ ATTORNEY WITNESSLS Patented Au 16,1927.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH n. GRAY, or sr. JOSEPH, MIs'soUnr.

DEVICE FOR ALIGNING WHEELS.

Application filed March 12, 1927. Serial m. 174,958.

This invention relates to a device for aligning the front wheels of anautomobile.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device adapted to beemployed in connection with the front wheels of an automobile and havinga scale and indicator for disclosing the distance between the forwardpart of the front wheel, said device being adapted to be carried aroundby the wheels when the vehicle is moved forwardly until a point isreached at the rear of the initial position where the device is atsubstantially the same height from the floor-as it was in. the initialposition, the final position of the indicator disclosing the differencesbetween the distance of the front portion of the wheel and the rearportion and also. the amount of correction necessary if the wheels areout of alignment.

This invention willbe best .understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawingsforming a part of the specification; nevertheless it is to be understoodthat the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptibleof such changes and modifications which shall define no materialdeparture from the salient features ofthe invention as expressed in theappended claim. I

'In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my aligning device shown applied tothe wheels of an automobile,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal side view of the device,

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken along the line 33 ofFigure 2, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of the aligning device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 and 11 designate a pairof front wheels of an automobile 12 which are adapted to be tested forproper alignment by the device forming the subject-matter of the presentapplication.

The aligning device consists of a pair of bars 13 and 14 having theirinner ends slidably mounted on each other and in substantially the samevertical plane. A U- shapedbracket 15 is secured, at 16, to the innerend of the bar 13 and has its bridging portion embracing the,inner endof the bar 14. The bracket 17, secured at 18 to the bar 14, has itsbridging end embracing the inner end of the bar 14 and is adapted to thebar 14 and is provided with a scale, as

engage a stop in the form of apin 19 secured to the extreme inner end ofbar 13.- The bracket 15 is adapted to engage a pin 20 secured to theextreme inner end of the bar 14.

Each of the bars, as shown at 21, at their inner ends are provided withchambers and a spring 22 is enclosed by the chambers and has one end, asshown at 23, secured to the lg, bar 13 and its other end secured at 24to the inner end of the bar 14. The spring is of the spiral type and isadapted to move the inner ends in close association, thereby forcing theout-er ends of the bars outwardly to for a purpose which will behereinafter described.

A chain 25 is' connected to the inner end of the bar 14 while a chain 27is connected to the outer end of said bar. Each of the chains isprovided with a tip 29 adapted to engage the ground.

A fiat strip of material 30 is secured in any approved manner to theouter face of shown at 31. A pointer 32 is adapted to be moved over thescale and is connected to a clamping device, generally designated by thenumeral 33. The pointer 32 is formed at one end of an arm 34 which isresiliently as maintained in predetermined position with.

respect to a second arm 35 by means. of a spring 36. The inner end ofthe arm 35, as shown at 37, is adapted to be received within a groove 38formed along the lower face of the bar 14 and is adapted to engage aflange 39, depending from the bar 14. The pointer 32 is adapted toengage the outer face of the member 30. v

A tire-engaging member 40 is secured to the outer end of the bar 14while a tire-engaging member 41 is secured to the outer end-of the bar13. These members are located in substantially the same horizontalplane. a

The operation of my device is as follows: The bars 13 and 14 are movedinwardly and over each other against the tension of the spring 22 untilthe tire engaging members 40 and 41 will engage the inner rounded sur-105 .faces of the tires 10 and 11. The'bars are then released and thespring forces the bars outwardly, moving the ends of the tire en gagingmembers 40 and 41 into engagement With-the tires. The pointer 32 is thenreleased by operating the arms 34 and v35 and moved along the scale 31until it is aligned with the inner edge 42 of the bar 13. The

automobile is then moved forwardly and the aligning device is carriedaround with the wheels since the bars are forced outwardly by the spring22 and the tire engaging niem bers 40 and 41 are maintained in rigidengagement with the wheels. As soon as the aligning device reaches apoint which is at substantially the same height above the floor as theinitial position and the points 29 of the chains again touch the floor,the auto' mobile is stopped. The position of the pointer 32 is thennoted with respect to the inner end 42 of the bar 13. If the differencebetween the initial position and the final posit-ion of the aligningdevice is the normal difierence the'wheels are then considered asproperly aligned. However. any greater difl'erence than the normal willindicate the disalignment of the wheels which is corrected in the usualmanner. The horizontal position of the aligning device is initiallydetermined when the tips 29 touch the floor.

Chains 50 are also secured to the rods 40 and 41 which are of such alength that the free ends will contact with the floor simultaneouslywith the tips 29 of the chains and 27, when the bars 13 and 14 arehorizontally disposed atv a predetermined height above the floor. Thechains 50 co-operate with the chains 25 and 27 for determining in anefiective 'manner the proper horizontal position of the device.

I claim:

A wheel aligner comprising a pair of bars slidably mounted on each otherand overlapping each other at one of their ends, means for guiding thebars, each of the bars being provided with a slot, a spring in the slothaving an end secured to one bar, the

other end being secured to the other bar for maintaining theover-lapping ends of the bars in close association, one of the barsbeing provided with'a scale with the overlapping end of the other barmovable over the scale, the other ends of the bars being provided withtire-engaging rods, a pointer slidabl y mounted on the bar provided witha scale and movable over said scale, chains carried by thelast-mentioned bar and hav-. ing tips at the free ends adapted to engagethe floor for determining the initial hori zontal position of thealigner when applied to a pair of wheels.

JOSEPH H. GRAY.

